[Kizzy]

Someone else got eaten the other day...oh yeah? thats terrible ...anyway whens big brother on?.....

[Omah]

Originally Posted by bobnot

The world is a safer place today than it ever has been we just hear about the negative things more than we used to due to technology.

Have you got the figures to prove that ?

[Redway]

You see, the problem with information today is that people believe they can state their opinions objectively, rather than subjectively, which is what category unproved opinions fall into. If you don't have any valid statistics to prove your statement from an objective point of view, there's no possible way of knowing whether you are right or wrong, so these opinions are subjective, as are all. If you don't have any valid statistics to prove your argument, don't bother making an objective statement.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by bobnot

The world is a safer place today than it ever has been we just hear about the negative things more than we used to due to technology.

Where's the evidence? Until you can provide valid substantiation, your statement is an opinion, not a fact (subjective, not objective).

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18583688

A 21-year-old man laughed and ran off after shooting Indian student Anuj Bidve in the head, a court was told.

Kiaran Stapleton, from Ordsall, has already admitted shooting the 23-year-old in Salford on 26 December 2011.

The Crown Prosecution Service did not accept his plea of manslaughter and he is now being tried for murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Opening the case, prosecutor Brian Cummings QC said the defence was likely to call expert psychological and psychiatric evidence in the trial, which is scheduled to last up to four weeks.

The jury was told Mr Stapleton made no admissions when he was first interviewed as a suspect.

But after being charged with murder, and as time progressed, he admitted he was the person who shot and killed Mr Bidve, the prosecutor said.

Mr Bidve's friends had described the gunman and the second male, Ryan Holden, who was with Mr Stapleton at the time.

Police trawled CCTV footage from the area and Mr Holden was arrested on 28 December and Mr Stapleton the day after.

Mr Holden was initially arrested as a suspect, but is now due to appear as a witness for the prosecution.

Mr Holden told police his cousin, Chelsea Holden, had been in a long-term relationship with Mr Stapleton and they had a child together but had split up.

He said he and Mr Stapleton had spent Christmas night together drinking and "chilling", but at one point someone mentioned Ms Holden had slept with another man while she and Mr Stapleton were living together.

Mr Stapleton was angry and said something like "If I see him, I'll kill him", the court heard.

At about midnight the pair went to get some food from a local McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken shop at the top of Ordsall Lane and saw Mr Bidve and his friends.

The court heard they were "not dressed like Salford people" and "seemed to be having a laugh".

Mr Cummings said Mr Stapleton told his friend to wait before he crossed over the road and made a gesture as though he was asking the time.

Mr Holden then saw Mr Stapleton raise his arm again and he heard a loud shot.

"He also heard a lot of screaming and then Mr Stapleton ran back towards him, shouting 'Run!' - but he was already running, Mr Cummings said.

The men ran through the Ordsall Estate to Mr Stapleton's house in Regent Square, where Mr Holden was panicking and his friend told him "don't fold on me".

Mr Stapleton took a shower and told Mr Holden to do the same, but when Mr Holden returned his clothes had vanished and a new set had been provided for him.

Mr Holden's bag that he had with him on the night also disappeared, the court heard.

Both stayed the night at the house and the next day went to Leigh, Greater Manchester, and stayed there before returning to Salford and going their separate ways.

Mr Stapleton checked into the Campanile Hotel in Ordsall, where CCTV showed him looking out of the windows in the direction of the crime scene.

On 28 December, he went from the hotel to the Candy Skull tattoo shop in Swinton, Salford, and had a tear drop design inked on to the side of his face.

Mr Cummings said: "The tattoo shop staff remember his visit because of his behaviour and that of other members of the group and also because of the nature of the tattoo which, amongst other possible meanings, can signify that the wearer has killed someone."

When this was pointed out to him he remarked that he had killed his goldfish, and the tattoo was done for him and he left.

The trial continues.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18595421

A friend of Indian student Anuj Bidve has told a court he saw him fall to the ground after hearing a bang which he initially thought was a firecracker.

The 23-year-old was shot in the head at close range as he walked on Ordsall Lane, Salford, on 26 December 2011.

Manchester Crown Court heard from Mr Bidve's friend Nitish Jalali, 22.

Mr Jalali was one of a group of friends, including Mr Bidve, who were walking from a hotel in Salford where they were staying for Christmas to the sales in Manchester city centre in the early hours of Boxing Day.

He told the court he felt anxious when a man wearing a white hoodie walked towards them.

"He came over and he asked what the time is and we did not respond the first time," he told the jury.

He said after the third time, someone answered and told him 1.30am and he pulled out a gun and fired it at Mr Bidve's head.

"There was a bang sound, it sounded like a firecracker," he added.

"Then Anuj fell flat, face-first."


He said the man then turned and ran off, giving a sarcastic laugh as he went.

Mr Jalali said he then saw the gunman run off with another male who stayed on the opposite side of the road throughout the incident.

A second witness, Sarang Kulkarni, said he saw the man in the hooded top laughing as he stood behind Mr Bidve, who was on the ground.

He said he thought the gunman was playing a prank because he saw him laughing.

Mr Kulkarni said the group arrived at the Etap Hotel in Salford on Christmas Eve and had gone to bed early on Christmas Day.

The women in the group woke the men in the early hours because they wanted to get a place in the queues for the Boxing Day sales in the city centre.

He said: "We did not really want to go but the girls wanted to and we did not want for them to go alone so we decided to go together."

They left the hotel at 00:30 GMT on Boxing Day and followed their route via GPS from a phone of one of the group.

He said when the two men approached them, one of them came over and asked the time.

"I said it was 1.30am and at that very moment I heard a loud bang like a small firecracker," he said.

"I looked back over my left shoulder and I saw one of the girls screaming and running towards me. She had her hands over her ears.

"The rest of the group was just running away from the scene of the incident but at the same time we were all surprised because we had not expected anything."

Mr Kulkarni said the group probably made a joint decision not to engage with the man at first, but said he felt relieved when it appeared he only wanted to know the time.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18608958

The man accused of murdering student Anuj Bidve in Salford was "trying to be all cool" before the shooting, a jury at Manchester Crown Court has heard.

The Indian student, 23, was shot in the head at close range as he walked in Ordsall Lane on 26 December.

Kiaran Stapleton, 21, admits manslaughter due to diminished responsibility but denies murder.

Jurors heard a statement by Mr Bidve's friend Anuba Gupta who said the accused had approached "sort of bouncing".

In her statement, Miss Gupta described the moment of the shooting.

"When he [Kiaran Stapleton] came across the road towards us he was like hip-hopping, sort of bouncing, trying to be all cool.

"When the gun went off it was like a plastic bag filled with air and burst, then the sound amplified 1,000 times."

She said that after the shooting: "Everyone was scattered. Someone shouted 'Oh my God look at Anuj. He's been shot'."

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18623780

The man accused of murdering Anuj Bidve checked into a hotel overlooking the scene the day after the shooting, Manchester Crown Court has heard.

The court heard Kiaran Stapleton, of Regent Square, Ordsall, booked into the Campanile Hotel on Regent Road.

The jury was told a number of Blackberry messages were sent between the defendant and Ryan Holden, who was with Mr Stapleton on the night of the shooting.

Mr Holden was initially arrested as a suspect but is now a witness for the prosecution.

The court heard they discussed a number of people being arrested and speculated whether they would be next.

In one exchange, Mr Holden wrote: "You are off it, they won't find you there."

Mr Stapleton replied: "I hope they don't, I wish I had more money to base myself there two days or summat."

The court heard Mr Stapleton left the hotel at various times to buy alcohol, with two men and their girlfriends visiting him in the evening.

Mr Stapleton later sent Mr Holden a further message, saying: "Just on my way back and three armed jeeps at Sainsbos."

Mr Holden then replied, asking if he was seen.

Mr Stapleton said: "I was on my bike, man".

The jury was told Mr Holden sent a message to Mr Stapleton saying he thought police were outside his house and so he was going to delete Mr Stapleton's phone number.

At about 01:35 GMT the next day, Mr Holden was arrested by armed officers at an address in Salford.

Mr Stapleton checked out of the hotel at about 13:45 GMT and was picked up in a white vehicle.

The court was told he was arrested by armed police at 01:30 GMT on 29 December at a house in Rugby Road in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Upon his arrest, Mr Stapleton said: "You are just pulling in everyone from the area, I have got a job me, I work nights, I was in the area."

Toe-rag .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18678516

A friend of Kiaran Stapleton who was with him when he shot Anuj Bidve did not "grass" because he feared for his safety, a court has heard.

Ryan Holden, 20, said he had not gone to police after the shooting because he would have been "dead in a week".

He was arrested as a suspect following the incident, but became a witness after helping capture Mr Stapleton.

Mr Stapleton admits shooting Mr Bidve on 26 December 2011 but has denied murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Mr Holden was giving evidence for the second day, having told the court on Friday that he had been "shocked" by the attack on the Lancaster University student and had later confessed to his mother he had been at the scene of the shooting.

'Family in danger'

Questioned by Simon Csoka QC for the defence, he said he had not offered an anonymous tip-off because, "if I had done I would have been dead in a week".

He said there was "not a chance" of him being a "grass" because it would have also put his family in danger.

Mr Csoka went onto suggest that the gun which Mr Stapleton had used was actually owned by Mr Holden.

The 20-year-old, who gave evidence behind a curtain to shield him from the public gallery, said that was not the case, and that he had not even known Mr Stapleton had a weapon on him.

However, he admitted washing himself down with petrol to destroy evidence on his skin.

He said he had done this not because he had gunshot residue on him, as Mr Csoka suggested, but because his "head was gone" and he was "paranoid".

The case continues.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18693606

A recorded phone call in which the man accused of murdering Indian student Anuj Bidve spoke to his family while in prison has been played at his trial.

The call, in which Kiaran Stapleton speaks to his brother Kyle about the clothes he has to wear, was played at Manchester Crown Court.

The 11 minute call was made four days after Mr Stapleton's trial began.

In the call, the jury heard Mr Stapleton discussing how he wanted some new clothes to wear while in prison "because I'm walking around here looking like a tramp".

While speaking to his brother, the defendant said: "I have just told my mam I want the cardigan from the Trafford Centre that I murdered Anuj Bidve with."

He added that he wanted a replacement for the top that he was wearing on the night that Mr Bidve was shot, which is an exhibit in the case, as "the court has got my cardigan".

He went on to tell his brother that he wanted something "proper nice" to wear.

Hoist with his own petard .....

[Kizzy]

Is that what he said word for word?...Maybe he is too educationally subnormal to stand trial then...(joke)

[Omah]

Originally Posted by kizzy

Is that what he said word for word?...Maybe he is too educationally subnormal to stand trial then...(joke)

Stapleton pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility at Manchester Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service did not accept his plea of manslaughter and he is now being tried for murder.

We shall, no doubt, have witnesses describing his mental "ability" in due course.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18727118

The man accused of murdering Indian student Anuj Bidve has told Manchester Crown Court that he "didn't even know where I shot the guy".

Asked about the shooting, the 21-year-old said he had "just raised my hand, shot it and then ran".

He said he had not known he had killed Mr Bidve until "it came on the news saying a man's been shot dead".

Responding to questions about his gun, Mr Stapleton said he had "raised it with my right hand and then shot the firearm".

He was then asked why he had shot the gun, to which he replied: "I honestly don't know.

"I didn't even know where I shot the guy. I just raised my hand, I shot it, and then ran."

He said that his mind "went blank" after the shooting and that he had felt "nothing" on finding out the following morning that he had killed Mr Bidve.

He added that he had returned to the scene of the crime the next day to look at it.

Lying toe-rag .....

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Omah

Stapleton pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility at Manchester Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service did not accept his plea of manslaughter and he is now being tried for murder.

We shall, no doubt, have witnesses describing his mental "ability" in due course.

Thats brilliant! he is thick but not that thick then?..haha.
Lock it up!

[Omah]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...man-court-told

The killer of Indian student Anuj Bidve gunned him down because he wanted to make a name for himself as a ‘hardman’, it was alleged in his murder trial.

Kiaran Stapleton shot the 23-year-old micro-economics postgraduate at Ordsall Lane in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Stapleton, 21, of Regent Square, Ordsall, Salford, admits manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Giving evidence from the dock in his defence, the 21-year-old was questioned about three violent incidents he was involved in over the last year.

They included a road rage incident last July when he rammed a motorist’s car in Salford, the killing of Mr Bidve, and an attack on another inmate while on remand in Strangeways in April.

Stapleton appeared agitated as Brian Cummings QC, prosecuting, suggested that in each case Stapleton had been in control of his actions and had attacked his victims from behind in a ‘cowardly’ way.

Mr Cummings said of Anuj’s murder: "You’ve done it from behind. He’s turned his head towards you. If it wasn’t for that you’d have shot him in the back of the head. A controlled attack – absolutely arranged for that there’s no threat to you whatsoever.

"That’s your problem isn’t it? You don’t regard yourself as man enough to take other people on equal terms. This is why you’re trying to make a name for yourself, to pretend you’re something different."

"That’s not the case", Stapleton replied.

The prosecutor suggested that Stapleton had been thinking about killing someone for a thrill and that Anuj had been the ‘perfect’ target, because he was at the back of a group of people, allowing the killer to escape unchallenged, and presented no threat to him, as a 5ft 4ins foreigner.

Stapleton, who claims his friend Ryan Holden passed him the gun moments beforehand, denied this.

He claimed he did not feel ‘responsible’ for what he did, saying of the weapon: "I didn’t know it was loaded."

He then said of himself: "I didn’t know what I was doing at the time", and saying of Holden "if he hadn’t handed me that firearm it would have never happened."

Mr Holden denies passing him the weapon.

The prosecution say that Stapleton used his phone to look for news stories on the killing in the aftermath. He claimed that Mr Holden was responsible for the searches, denying that he was ‘enjoying the buzz’ of press attention.

Later, Mr Cummings put it to him that he was quite happy about local rumours connecting him to the shooting so that he "could get a reputation as a hardman."

"Working in a factory for £250 a week, I don’t think so", said Stapleton.

The jury has been played a tape of a phone call from prison just over a week ago in which Stapleton asks his family to buy him an identical cardigan to the one ‘I murdered Anuj Bidve’ with. Asked why, he said ‘because I liked it’.

Asked why he used the word murder, Stapleton added, "it was a comment to my brother, can’t tell you."

"You used the word murder because that’s the truth" the prosecutor said.

"No, that’s not the truth," said Stapleton.

During his evidence the killer admitted that he hoped he would never be caught, and described how he sat down in his cell and thought up a plan to escape blame for the killing following his arrest, saying, "I even think I jotted it down on a piece of paper". However, he denied that he was now ‘cutting his losses’ by admitting manslaughter.

[Kizzy]

Well he will get a name for himself in the nick....sharon probably....haha

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18745845

The man accused of murdering Indian student Anuj Bidve was "calculating" and "cocky", a court has been told.

Brian Cummings QC, prosecuting, said Kiaran Stapleton, 21, wanted the jury at Manchester Crown Court to believe he simply "lost control" at times.

Upon asking Mr Stapleton why he picked to target Mr Bidve in a group of people, he replied: "I can't tell you".

The prosecution pointed to three previous incidents involving Mr Stapleton, which Mr Cummings said proved he only attacked when the odds were in his favour.

With this in mind, Mr Cummings told the court Mr Bidve presented the "perfect" victim for Mr Stapleton, of Regent Square, Ordsall.

The prosecution said it was "obvious" Mr Bidve, 23, and the eight other Indian students who were with him were not local.

"You were cocky when you marched over with this gun", Mr Cummings said.

"No", Mr Stapleton replied.

"Did they not look to you like foreign students or foreign business people, smart, clean-cut, respectable?"

"No, just normal people", said Mr Stapleton.

Mr Cummings said after asking the group for the time, Mr Stapleton "almost immediately" shot Mr Bidve in the head.

The prosecutor said there was a "simple reason" Mr Bidve was the victim, as he was the last person in the group.

"It's not the way you operate, you attack from behind," Mr Cummings said.

"Thanks you for pointing that out. I will bear it in mind," Mr Stapleton replied.

Mr Cummings said Mr Stapleton's "problem" was he was not brave enough to take people on, on equal terms.

He told the court: "This was perfect, absolutely perfect. You wanted to kill someone and nothing could be better than a group of foreigners on your patch.

"You shot that man and killed him, it worked like a treat and you ran off laughing?"

"That was not correct," Mr Stapleton replied.

The prosecution suggested the defendant was "quite happy" with word getting around the estate that he was responsible for the shooting, as long as the police did not have any evidence.

"Why would that make me happy?" Mr Stapleton asked.

"So you would get your reputation as a hard man", Mr Cummings replied.

"You were celebrating what you had done, having a laugh with your mates about it, enjoying their admiration as the hard man of the estate, this was what it was all about, wasn't it?"

"No," replied the defendant.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18772761

A man who shot an Indian student dead has been accused of mocking his trial with a remark about his goldfish.

Kiaran Stapleton, 21, claims a "killer" teardrop tattoo on his face did not refer to Anuj Bidve's Boxing Day shooting but the fish's death.

He told a jury at Manchester Crown Court he did not want to discuss the goldfish because he might receive "animal cruelty" letters in prison.

Mr Brian Cummins QC, prosecuting, said: "Are you being serious?"

Mr Stapleton, walked up to Indian student Mr Bidve, 23, and his friends in the street in Ordsall, Salford, asked for the time and fired one shot to his victim's head without warning.

He admits manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder.

Cross-examined by Mr Cummings QC, about why he got the tattoo two days after the shooting, he explained he knew that it had several meanings including signifying the wearer had killed someone.

He told staff at the tattoo shop that he had killed his goldfish.

Mr Stapleton told the prosecutor he did not wish to talk further about the goldfish.

He said: "I don't wish to discuss that. I might have animal cruelty sending letters to me at HMP Manchester."

'Little audience'

Mr Cummings asked: "Are you being serious or are you making fun of the proceedings?

Mr Stapleton replied: "No, no, I'm being serious."

Kiaran Stapleton has admitted killing Anuj Bidve but denies murder
The defendant was earlier accused of mocking the court when answering a question about his stay at the Campanile Hotel in Regent Road - near to the crime scene - the day after the shooting.

The jury has seen CCTV footage of Mr Stapleton looking out of the hotel windows.

Mr Cummings asked him why he did this.

Mr Stapleton said: "Seeing if there were any nice women walking past Regent Road... seeing if there were any nice legs."

The prosecutor asked: "Is that true or are you having a laugh in this trial?"

Mr Stapleton replied: "No, that's true."

He denied he had brought along his "little audience" of friends to the tattoo shop in Swinton and was "showing off" to them as they laughed and joked.

"This was all about enjoying your status as a killer, was it not?" said Mr Cummings.

Mr Stapleton said: "No."

The scumbag is just taking the pee .....

The trial continues.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18772761

When the prosecution asked if he hoped psychiatric reports would prevent him being jailed, he said: "To be honest, I'm not bothered."

He told Manchester Crown Court: "I love prison. I watch Coronation Street. I have got a fat canteen."

"I love prison. Lock me up for 65 years."

'I'm not bothered'

Looking to the jury from the witness box, he added: "Does this face look bothered?

"I have even got a new rug and bedding coming for my cell. I'm not bothered."

Those psychiatric reports may yet be interesting and certainly crucial .....

[Omah]

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report...logist_1713603

A Briton standing trial for the killing of Anuj Bidve had an anti-social personality disorder with psychopathic and sadistic features and acted impulsively when he killed the Indian student, a psychologist who assessed him has said.

Kiaran Stapleton, 21, who previously called himself 'Psycho' Stapleton at a court hearing, was put through several personality assessments by defence psychologist Sanya Krljes, who gave evidence at the ongoing trial in the Manchester Crown Court.

The psychologist said that Stapleton's break-up with his girlfriend, and separation from his daughter would have made him very angry.

He was holding on to his anger and rage over his girlfriend and acted impulsively in the worst imaginable way when he killed Bidve, Krljes said.

This was a man who could not tell if he was angry or not - he acted impulsively in the worst imaginable way, she said.

Stating that Stapleton scored highly on the sadistic aggressive scale, Krljes said the traits showed by Stapleton during interviews included sadistic, depressive, anti-social, impulsive and passive aggression.

The psychologist had concluded that Stapleton had an anti-social personality disorder with psychopathic and sadistic features.

But is he mad or just bad .....

[Omah]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...id-i-was-sorry

The killer of Indian student Anuj Bidve told a psychiatrist after his arrest: ‘If I said I was sorry, I would be telling a lie’, a court heard.

Professor Nigel Eastman told Manchester Crown Court that gunman Kiaran Stapleton had a ‘very substantial lack of ability to feel what other people feel’.

Prof Eastman, consultant forensic psychiatrist added: "I don’t think he has got any real feeling for what he’s done, he’s sorry for his own situation rather than the victim’s."

The court has been told that Stapleton was diagnosed with an anti-social behaviour disorder with psychopathic tendencies by experts instructed by his defence.

Prof Eastman also described how Stapleton told how he felt a ‘glass wall’ between himself and other people when acting violently.

Stapleton told the psychiatrist: "If I’m going to do something, nothing will stop me. Even if there’s a camera there or the police. Once I’m on one side of the glass wall I can’t get back. Nothing will stop me doing what I’m going to do."

Prof Eastman noted that Stapleton did not describe being frightened or upset after the shooting, while his friend, eyewitness Ryan Holden, was badly shaken.

He said of Stapleton: "I don’t think it’s because he’s the harder of the two men, it’s because he doesn’t feel."

Stapleton checked into a hotel overlooking the scene in the aftermath of the killing. Prof Eastman said: "People with normal feelings would steer clear."

Fair enough ..... bang him up with other "psychos" until he dies .....

[Omah]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...alls-in-a-sock

CCTV footage captured the attack launched by Kiaran Stapleton at HMP Manchester where he is remanded in custody for the alleged murder of Anuj Bidve.

Stapleton threw the bucket over the head of prisoner Michael Sharp, with sugar melted in the liquid so it would stick to his victim's skin. He then carried on the assault on the Category A prison wing using billiard balls in a sock with the help of two friends from Salford armed with pool cues, Manchester Crown Court has heard.

Stapleton, 21, later told a forensic clinical psychologist in interview that he had intended to kill Sharp.

Prosecution expert Dr Adrian West said the defendant gave his account of the incident which took place earlier this year.

Stapleton said he came out of the shower and had seen Sharp sitting down playing chess and then "I just went and done what I done". The defendant explained there was less than a minute between deciding what he was going to do and actually carrying it out.

"He said he knew the hot water would scald Michael Sharp and he also said that his intention was to kill him with snooker balls," said Dr West.

Dr West explained to the jury: "I saw his behaviour as purposeful and instrumental - that is a pre-determined goal of causing deliberate harm."

[Me. I Am Salman]

Hang the twat, it'll save the taxpayer a few quid

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-18862890

Dr Adrian West told Manchester Crown Court defendant Kiaran Stapleton had told him in an interview the group "should have got a taxi".

Dr West said Mr Stapleton, 21, was moving "purposefully" towards the group of friends before Mr Bidve was shot.

The forensic clinical psychologist told the court he had asked Mr Stapleton why he targeted the Lancaster University student, who was walking with a group of friends.

Dr West said Mr Stapleton replied: "Only because he had the biggest head."

He told the court Mr Stapleton then told him: "I blew a hole in his head, there is nothing I can say, nothing whatsoever. They should have got a taxi, things would have been different if they had got a taxi."

Simon Driver, junior prosecuting counsel, asked Dr West what his opinion was on Mr Stapleton's state of mind as he crossed the road to approach Mr Bidve.

Dr West replied: "I consider he moved purposefully and then he purposefully asked the time because that gave him an opportunity to have a better selection of those people in front of him."

He added Mr Stapleton's positioning and the way he fired the handgun was "purposeful" in its accuracy.

While discussing Mr Stapleton's character, Dr West told the court he did not think the defendant had a total lack of empathy, but "impaired empathy".

He said: "He is still capable of being aware of the feelings and states of other people and the effect of his actions on them".

Dr West also said he did not see Mr Stapleton as "characteristically impulsive", as he had no history of problems with possible addictions such as alcohol, drugs or gambling.

[Omah]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/ju...?newsfeed=true

A judge has begun summing up in the murder trial over the shooting of an Indian postgraduate student on a Salford street in the early hours of Boxing Day.

The judge, Mr Justice Timothy King, told the jury the facts of Bidve's death were heartbreaking. Equally, jurors may have sympathy towards the defendant, he said. . But it was important they carried out a dispassionate assessment of the evidence.

He said Stapleton admitted unlawfully killing Bidve, but the question the jury had to resolve was whether he had intended to kill or cause him real, serious harm.

The prosecution case was that the defendant was in control of his actions at the time of the shooting, there was no loss of control and he was not angry or upset, the judge said. He said the defence argued this was "too simplistic".

Prior to the shooting Stapleton had drunk five or six bottles of Smirnoff Ice. "Although he himself was not affected by this and was certainly not drunk … you must bear this in mind."

The judge said part of Stapleton's defence relied on the facts that the gun belonged to his friend Ryan Holden, that Holden handed it to him unexpectedly moments before the shooting, and that Stapleton did not know or believe the gun was loaded.

"The defendant failed to mention any of these matters during police interviews. For the most part, he said: 'No comment'. He never mentioned these things and this failure may count against him," the judge said.

He said the prosecution argued that the defendant told several lies. When he was arrested and questioned, he denied any involvement in Bidve's killing. In a police interview he lied about a teardrop tattoo and falsely suggested it had been done some weeks before the killing, the judge said. The defence argued the lies were "part and parcel of the recognised medical condition", he said.

The judge will resume his summing up on Wednesday before the jury retires to consider its verdict.

Guilty, m'lud .....